The President Sang Amazing Grace: A Book About Finding Grace After Unspeakable Tragedy

By Zoe Mulford and Jeff Scher

This picture book about Barack Obama singing with a grieving nation after the Charleston church shooting “represents an important moment in U.S. history” (Kirkus Reviews).

When nine people were killed in a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, the nation grieved as one, and when President Barack Obama sang “Amazing Grace” during his eulogy for Reverend Clementa Pinckney, it was acknowledged as one of the most powerful moments of his presidency.

Singer/songwriter Zoe Mulford was so moved that she wrote the song “The President Sang Amazing Grace,” which was sung by Joan Baez and illustrated by filmmaker and painter Jeff Scher for a video that has been viewed countless times. This book presents the lyrics to the song, Scher’s paintings, excerpts from Obama’s eulogy, biographies of those who were killed, historical context, and sheet music.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: May 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781647002244

Book preview

Reviews for The President Sang Amazing Grace

[salsabrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a picture book edition of the animated music video, sung by Joan Baez. Includes the score on the endsheets. Backmatter includes creator notes, brief bios of those who died and a QR code to access the video.